Last two weeks for me have been ugly. I don't remember my exact scores or series (probably because I'm trying to forget them), but they were both around 570-590. Lanes haven't been fresh due to high school bowling starting and bowling before us and lots of open bowling the day after Thanksgiving. However, I've gone to practice the last two Sunday mornings on fresh shots and I'm totally confused. Besides a lot of over/under reaction with resin, they're hooking like crazy in league. However when I went to practice the last two Sunday mornings I'm fighting to get resin to roll up and carry. I had gone to practice the first Sunday of this month on a fresh shot and had no such problems along with having a fresh shot all season up until the past two weeks, so I do think that for whatever reason something is up with the shot.

I've used my Super Natural in league a few times this season when I have struggled with resin and it has worked OK, so last Sunday morning I figured at some point I'd try to use my old urethane Turbo that I hadn't bowled a whole game with in a few years. Switched to it the third game after fighting a lot of over/under and bad carry. Played straight up 7 first shot with the Turbo and it hit high flush like a ton of bricks. Shot the front 8 with it and ended with a 269. The next game I tried to switch back to resin, over/under reaction again with bad carry. I'm contemplating starting with the Turbo on Friday night in league. It just feels weird to me to have to possibly make this switch to urethane again like I did a few seasons ago, however I've been feast or famine with resin for most of the season. Any thoughts?

Yeh I always start to have trouble once the weather changes. Or seemingly, and I blame it on the weather Just seems like the lanes have a hard change around the 2nd third of the season, and it often coincides with temperatures dropping. I noticed this when I bowled in Louisiana and now in North Carolina. Just an observation though, probably not much help *shrug*

Bowling last night was interesting. Cut the tip of my middle finger on my throwing hand open (deep, half inch long) on Monday night. Had to put some liquid skin on it and wrap with tape. It held together and didn't hurt, but I couldn't really bend the finger which definitely changed my shot.

I managed a 246-197-215 to hit average dead on with a 658. Was throwing the ball about 1.5 mph slower. Oil held the shot on the first game but I started having to move WAY inside to compensate for the speed and just couldn't throw consistently enough at that angle.

No deuces tonight, but I had only one game under average, and that by not very much. I had a couple of missed single pins, but I was spooked by stepping on my shoelace on the missed 3 pin, which I couldn't stop the shot for because I was committed to it.

League last night was a challenge. 535 series don't exactly remember the games but 146-220ish-186 I think. Lots of splits. 5 in game one and another 4 for the rest of the night. Seemed like I would pay the max price for shots that were just a bit off.

Disappointing night, thought I threw the ball well for the most part but the carry wasn't there and on top of that was having some thumb issues as we went. 215, 223, 209 for 647. Not terrible but not nearly good enough when the opposing team is shooting telephone numbers. Too many strings of strikes being interrupted by bad carry and also had a few splits as well when I just couldn't consistently keep my speed up. So instead of a 6 pin it would be a 6,7,10.

Yesterday had to prebowl for Sunday again due to another tournament I'll be bowling. Couldn't carry there either and went 205, 213, 204 for a measly 622. I almost never do well prebowling. I even had someone pace with me and we bowled TV style but it didn't matter. Hit the pocket but can't string strikes. I don't think I'll have too many more instances where I'll need to prebowl in the 2nd half but definitely planning on dropping this league next season and bowling on another weeknight now that my work schedule allows me to bowl on any night.

Last night was a very interesting night of league. Two of our teammates were missing, one of my teammates went to the same high school that I did and he and his wife (also on our team) were watching the HS football team win their first state championship in their 99 years of having a football team.

I started with the Turbo, but it was already hooking way more than it was last Sunday morning. By the time I got to the first frame, I'm using urethane on the same line that I'd been using my Vintage Danger Zone on fresh lanes earlier in the season (and on last Sunday morning when I had trouble getting the DZ to hook on that same line). The right lane was hooking more and it caught my by surprise with an early split on a high hit. I left two 7 pins on light hits on the left lane and I decided to put away the Turbo and took out my Super Natural. The right lane still hooked too much but I left an easy spare this time. Moved in more on the right lane, got lined up and salvaged a 197. Shot 226, 247 the last two games, both clean with mostly 9 counts and strikes to end with a 670. Looks like I'm using urethane until it changes again. We also won all 7 games down two bowlers which was great.

One of my league officers towards the end of the night told me that these lanes were fresh. He watched them be oiled and no one bowled on our lanes. The high school teams bowled in another part of the center where a money league bowls. They tend to listen to them when they complain about the shot, so I suspect that they're putting out a heavier volume shot for those lanes. I think they're making up for using more oil for them by putting out a lower volume shot for our league.

Now for the fun part of the night. We had a brief captain's meeting, the center booked a large party right after our league and wanted us done by 9:45. That was understandable, however when they informed the league officers they also complained about the amount of time we are taking to bowl and apparently weren't very cordial about it. One of the officers brought up lost time due to chronic pinsetter and ball return problems that get patched with band-aids, and they said that the pinchaser on our night isn't working quick enough and that they should fire him. The pinchaser is the son of the boyfriend of our league secretary, and that made her very angry. Our league spends a lot of money at the bar and snack bar (which has also been very slow this season and could be blamed for delays). There's a good chance that next week everyone in our league will boycott the bar and snack bar. I can understand about them bringing up the time issues with us, but to put all the blame on our league without our input of what also causes delays is insulting.

I approached some personal history tonight, as this was my high series since my last 700 series, my 706 on June 12, 2013. A slow start really kept this from being better, but I was clean after the 4th frame of the second game, stringing together six strikes in the second game and five in the third. I was in the pocket most of the night, only having to shoot two multi-pin spares (a split and a 6-10).

We started the evening in eighth, and were going up against the #1 or #2 average bowler in the league. REALLY nice guy, and I was really hoping that we would push each other. Little did I know. . .

Also - no sweet wife with me. She had to pick up the boy from rehearsal downtown so it was a sub . . . nice guy, fun guy. Just nowhere near as sexy as my wife!

Quick summary - I threw THREE errant shots. That's it.

First game - 279. I used my IQ Tour Pearl. Lanes were dry and the polish on that ball just evened things out for me. Front 5, rushed my 6th frame so it crossed over and left the 5. Easy pickup. I knew what I did, corrected and went sheet from there.

Second game, struck first, left a 7 on a good shot, left a ringing 10 (missed it), then left a 6 . . . moved a half board right and went sheet except for the 9th frame where I left a really weak 10 (picked it up) for a 227. REALLY happy with this game. Strangely, was even happier than game 1. I had to WORK some. . .

Third game - struck first three. Fourth frame had low ball speed and left the 3-6-10. I've been struggling with this spare for a few months, but relaxed and picked it up. Struck 5-9 and left a stone 9 in the 10, picked it up and struck to fill for a 256.

New high scratch series - 762. With 15 pins handicap, I tie the league season high at 807.

If I didn't already have a 646 earlier in the season, this would have been my high series of the season in this league. I really feel I've been rolling it better than ever, and I really haven't been missing single pin spares (there was one tonight, a 4 pin), as I've been near 80%, maybe over, in this run. That has helped me throw first ball with confidence.

and I really haven't been missing single pin spares (there was one tonight, a 4 pin), as I've been near 80%, maybe over, in this run. That has helped me throw first ball with confidence.

Great series and that definitely helps with the confidence. I find I'm the opposite, my spare shooting on single pins fees on how well I'm lined up on my first ball. For example, if I'm lined up and hitting the pocket consistently leaving the occasional 10 pin isn't a big deal and I'll have no problem shooting it. However, if I'm having trouble getting lined up and I leave a 10 pin on a shot that got to the pocket I've noticed recently that I feel a sense of dread about shooting the spare and I'm more likely to miss it. The game is definitely 90% mental (at least).

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